In the Meantime, In Between Time

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I am in that strange space you sometimes get into as an author. I am revising one manuscript, preparing another for publication and writing another all at the same time. That seems to happen more and more often these days as I do my work for Black Library, try and get my backlist into print in ebook format and even write a new novel. So what exactly have I been up to? Well, yesterday I killed an ork with a shotgun. OK– I didn’t. Leo, the narrator of The Angel of Fire did. I just watched him do it while keeping Read more…

Tools For Writers: Notebook and Pen

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I’ve never met a gadget I didn’t like. I own more computers than I care to think about, an Android phone, an Android tablet, multiple ebook readers and an Alphasmart Dana. I’ve always been this way– I’ve owned an Amstrad NC-200 (wonderful machine in its day), various Psion organisers, assorted Palm PDA’s. Basically any little device that promises to increase my productivity even in the slightest only has to sidle up to me sideways and wink and I will hand over my money, no thought required and no questions asked. I’m the same with software– God alone only knows how Read more…

N’Kari

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Although not an elf, the Greater Daemon N’Kari plays an integral part in the saga of Tyrion and Teclis and indeed in the history of the Elves. During the first great incursion of Chaos he led the Rape of the Ulthuan, slaughtering tens of thousands of Elves, overseeing the destruction of cities and forests, ravaging the land for the greater glory of Slaanesh and himself. His first reign of terror ended in defeat by the god-king Aenarion. He returned later to take part in the final battle with the Elves at the Island of the Dead. This encounter left him Read more…

Magic Bullets

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When it comes to technology, some writers like to believe in the magic bullet — the operating system, the computer, the piece of software that will make all the difference. If only they can find this wondrous thing, it will transform their productivity. I’ve spent as much time as anybody else in pursuit of this particular Grail. I’ve probably tried most pieces of software aimed at writers and most of the common operating systems. It’s never really made a lot of difference. I have found one piece of software I really like (Scrivener) and one that does make a difference Read more…

MacBook Solutions

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As some of you may recall I have been having problems with my MacBook Pro, to the point where I was just about ready to give up on it. It has been crashing more and more often recently and this is not something you want in a work machine. I had installed a new SSD but the machine refused to boot after awhile so I stuck the old hard drive back in. There were still random crashes but at least it worked, most of the time. Sometimes programs would not work as they were supposed to. Sometimes the whole machine Read more…

Morathi

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Last week I talked about the Dark Lord. This week I am going to talk about his mother. (If ever there was a way of getting yourself into trouble, that would seem to be it. I may have to put off future visits to Naggaroth.) Morathi does not play a huge role in the Great Elvish War but she does play a part, recruiting the human horde that invades Ulthuan. In the Tyrion and Teclis trilogy, I had given my take on Aenarion, Caledor and Malekith and I wanted to show this fourth Elvish titan. As with Malekith, I wanted to show Read more…